Dhaka, Aug. 13 -- Bangladesh's planned graduation from the United Nations list of least developed countries (LDCs) has long been seen as a milestone - a recognition of economic progress and improved human development.
Yet, as experts warned this week, celebrating too soon could come at a cost the country is ill-prepared to bear.
At a discussion organised by the Third World Network and Nagorik Uddyog, leading trade and legal specialists urged the government to consider delaying its transition to developing country status.
They argue that while meeting the UN's technical criteria is an achievement, the real test lies in weathering the competitive shocks that follow.
Graduation would mean the loss of key preferential trade benefits in Bang...